20 Stupid Misconceptions That People Still Believe

17. The flavor map

"No, see, you can only taste flavors with certain parts of your tongue, so if it's too bitter, just taste it with the tip!" The whole flavor map of the tongue thing? Complete BS. There are no areas of the tongue that only taste certain things, and this map misses out the deliciousness of the fifth taste type â€” umami. Every part of the tongue tastes every type of flavor. This misbelief sprung up from a mistranslated German article from 1901, and has been conclusively disproven since at least 1974 â€” yet you still see it bandied about constantly â€” especially by wine drinkers.